“People are still stigmatized around couples therapy and coming to therapy, but no one’s ever had a problem going on vacation,” said Marissa Nelson, a sex therapist who runs retreats in Barbados, Hawaii. in Saint Lucia and Washington, DC, through his company. PrivacyMoons (seven days in St. Lucia from $7,500). She also offers virtual sessions; even when retreats were closed in 2020, she noticed couples traveling — to Airbnbs or on road trips — before logging on to work with her.
Travel is a powerful tool for releasing intimacy, said Shlomo Slatkin, rabbi and board-certified relationship therapist. His company, The Marriage Restoration Project, focuses on married couples. Over the past year, in response to a growing demand to combine therapy and travel, he launched his first destination retreats – which cost between $4,000 and $5,000 and take place in Costa Rica, Mexico and Miami. .
“Leaving is really powerful because changing the relationship requires a paradigm shift,” he said. “The closures have brought to light many maintenance issues in relationships that need to be addressed.”
Tara Skubella, tantric guide, works with both couples and single women. Tantra, a spiritual philosophy with its roots in medieval India, includes practices such as tantric sex, and Ms. Skubella offers services including chakra work, which focuses on energy points in the body. Her retreats in Costa Rica and Colorado (starting at $499) have mostly sold out since 2020, she said.
“It seems very aligned with Covid and coming out of isolation,” she said. “Society realizes that tantra is not just about sex, but about inner connection and healing.”
In March, the St. Regis hotelier will launch a retreat with the sex coach Bibi Brzozka on intimacy, conscious sexuality and emotional awareness at the St. Regis Punta Mita Resort in Mexico ($2,680). In April, Six Senses Ibiza will host Principles of Pleasure — Journey of Women’s Sexual Wellness, a six-night stay focused on female sexual empowerment ($4,500). These are the first sex-focused retreats for both brands. — Debra Kamin
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